Rules At Home: How To Educate Children Using Technology

Technology has been consistently evolving and becoming more and more affordable and accessible. Thus more and more families are adopting the use of technology. A study was conducted in 2017 by the Common Sense Media which is an organization that works with the aim of helping families adopt the use of technology in their daily lives. The report found out that as many as 98 percents of children under the age of 8 nowadays have access to a smartphone or tablet or any kind of mobile device. This figure was 75 per cent in the year 2013. It is projected that this number will continue to surge further in the following years. One of the best ways to make use of technology in your home is to use it to impart children education. There are certain factors you have to keep in mind if you want to use technology to educate your children. These are the following:

The way technology should be used depending on the age of the child

The way high-quality learning content can be used

The guidelines and limits that should be imposed regarding the use of technology

While the personalized, interactive method of teaching has its own unique benefits; teaching about the use of technology is increasingly gaining popularity nowadays.

Use Of Technology For Toddlers:

As per a report by the national association for the education of young children, infants and toddlers are not significantly affected by a passive consumption of technology. The American Academy Of Pediatrics has reported that children under the age of two are completely kept away from access to any kind technology. However, toddler tablets and digital picture books are one of the most common forms of technology allowed to kids under the age of two. The tablets are loaded with photos of family members and animal. There are also digital devices which can be used to share picture books which have interactive features.

Online Learning Mode for Children of Pre-School Age:

Kids in the pre-school stage have a great affinity for technology. Before beginning to educate them using technology, it is important that they learn the foundation. Thus you should allow your child to explore lower-priced mobile devices stored in rugged frames. First, teach them how to touch and swipe the screen. Eventually, you can teach your child the techniques of using a mouse or keyboard. In order to continue the process of using technology to educate your kids, you can start by downloading simple, games, eBooks, and audiobooks which are age-appropriate for your kids. There are innovative technology options nowadays which enable you to download the Storymaker app. This app helps you to document and illustrate digital stories, which you can also share with other people. There are several technological platforms which can be used to search videos about topics that your child finds fascinating. These topics range from the forest or arctic animals, cooking to international space station and planets. You should use technology to create a balanced, enriched and productive learning environment for your child.

The following are some of the most widely-used learning tools that are used to impart education to pre-school children:

Online mode of learning for school-age kids

It is important for you to explain to your child technology is one of the several instrumental tools of education. As a parent, you can download educational games, interactive videos and whenever your child asks questions, you should do digital research to fulfil their curiosities

The following are some of the popular learning tools for school children:

Starfall

PBS learning media

Dreambox

Storyline Online

Allowance for use of technology by Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and the Beckhams for their kids

Apple founder Steve Jobs explained that he restricts the use of technology by his own kids in their home. Bill Gates also had stated in an interview that he and his wife have put stringent restrictions on the tech exposure of their kids. Even David and Victoria Beckham have reported that they impose certain rules on their children regarding the use of technology. The primary concerns they had regarding the overexposure of their kids to technology were the following:

Cyberbullying

Exposure to inappropriate, harmful content

Diminishing of time for productive activities

Danger of addiction

Hence technology can play an instrumental role in the education of children but only if the following rules and restrictions on the use of technology by children are followed:

No personal phone for kids under 14

No use of devices at family dinners

Setting a curfew for kids to switch off their devices before bedtime

Setting restrictions on screen time during the school week

Thus, if these restrictions and internet safety protocols are followed, great benefits can be reaped from technology in educating kids.

Rules At Home: How To Educate Children Using Technology was last modified: September 28th, 2018 by Donald Carson